Low Back Pain With Persistent Radiculopathy; the Clinical Role of Genetic Variants in the Genes SOX5, CCDC26/GSDMC and DCC.

Marie Udnesseter Lie,Linda Margareth Pedersen,Kristian Bernhard Nilsen,Ingrid Heuch,Johannes Gjerstad,Øystein Petter Nygaard,John-Anker Zwart,Dagfinn Matre,Bendik Winsvold,Eivind Hasvik,Margreth Grotle

doi:10.3389/fgene.2021.757632

Abstract

In a recently published genome-wide association study (GWAS) chronic back pain was associated with three loci; SOX5, CCDC26/GSDMC and DCC. This GWAS was based on a heterogeneous sample of back pain disorders, and it is unknown whether these loci are of clinical relevance for low back pain (LBP) with persistent radiculopathy. Thus, we examine if LBP with radiculopathy 12 months after an acute episode of LBP with radiculopathy is associated with the selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); SOX5 rs34616559, CCDC26/GSDMC rs7833174 and DCC rs4384683. In this prospective cohort study, subjects admitted to a secondary health care institution due to an acute episode of LBP with radiculopathy, reported back pain, leg pain, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), were genotyped and followed up at 12 months (n = 338). Kruskal-Wallis H test showed no association between the SNPs and back pain, leg pain or ODI. In conclusion, LBP with radiculopathy 12 months after an acute episode of LBP with radiculopathy, is not associated with the selected SNPs; SOX5 rs34616559, CCDC26/GSDMC rs7833174 and DCC rs4384683. This absent or weak association suggests that the SNPs previously associated with chronic back pain are not useful as prognostic biomarkers for LBP with persistent radiculopathy.

Highlights

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability in Western countries (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2020) and represents a large economic burden (Maniadakis and Gray, 2000; Breivik et al, 2013; Olafsson et al, 2018)
We aimed to examine if low back pain (LBP) with radiculopathy 12 months after an acute episode of radiculopathy is associated with the selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); SOX5 rs34616559, CCDC26/GSDMC rs7833174 and DCC rs4384683
Of the 436 subjects included in the study, 49.1% were admitted to a secondary health care institution due to acute LBP with radiculopathy, and 50.9% were admitted due to an acute worsening of their already persistent LBP with radiculopathy

Summary

Introduction

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability in Western countries (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2020) and represents a large economic burden (Maniadakis and Gray, 2000; Breivik et al, 2013; Olafsson et al, 2018). Genetic susceptibility is assumed to play an important role for LBP with radiculopathy (Williams et al, 2013; Bjorland et al, 2016; Lemmelä et al, 2016; Bjornsdottir et al, 2017). In the first reported GWAS meta-analysis of chronic back pain with 158.000 individuals three loci were identified in or near the genes SOX5, CCDC26/ GSDMC and DCC (Suri et al, 2018). This GWAS comprised a heterogeneous sample of chronic back pain disorders. It is unknown whether these loci are of clinical relevance for LBP with persistent radiculopathy. We aimed to examine if LBP with radiculopathy 12 months after an acute episode of radiculopathy is associated with the selected SNPs; SOX5 rs34616559, CCDC26/GSDMC rs7833174 and DCC rs4384683

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion